Romance with a serrated edge.

Blog Stats

Menu

My Dream Came True

In my author’s life, I’ve had a lot of momentous occasions that were a reason to celebrate. The first being rejected on a manuscript I submitted. Why was that momentous? In RWA (Romance Writers of America) it means you’re “legit.” You did it, you completed a book and took the risk of submitting it to either an agent or publishers. With that first rejection, I was able to go PRO, which is a huge honor.

The next celebration occurred when a publisher listened to my pitch at the Romantic Times 2013 Convention and asked me to send the full manuscript. That led to “the call,” a contract for Saving Evangeline. In between the signing and publication were other notable milestones: surviving edits, the cover reveal, first reviews showing up on social media.

On the day of publication, despite having to be up at three in the morning for my other job, I stayed up until midnight to hit purchase. I sat there, in the dark, staring at my book on my e-reader, so proud I wanted to wake the world and show them. (Hubby wasn’t so lucky, he did get awakened)

But nothing compared to the surreal moment when I walked into Barnes & Noble and found my book on the shelf. And it wasn’t tucked away with just the spine showing. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. It was that same feeling of awe. I’m sure the folks manning the security cameras had a good laugh at my awkward jump and dance for joy. I admit, my hands shook when I took it down and looked at it, careful not to crack the spine.

This is the culmination of my dreams. And next week, I’ll be at this very Barnes & Noble, doing a book signing. If you’re in the area stop by, I’d love to meet you. We can talk about books and dreams. And I’ll have chocolate…